The Atacama desert in the Andes mountain range outside of Antofagasta, Chile April 15, 2013.Image: Reuters/Julie Gordon
and this:
Image taken near San Pedro de Atacama on June 2nd, 2015.Image: Charlotte Gill
is now looking like this:
The intense and surprising rainfall recorded in northern Chile during the winter months allowed for the dazzling bloom in the Atacama desert, one of the most arid in the world.Image: EPA/Mario Ruiz
Welcome to the Atacama desert, which is the driest place on Earth (if you exclude the poles). The average rainfall in the region is about 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) per year. But every five to seven years, unusual rainfall in the autumn causes more than 200 species of flowers to bloom in spring.
The last time this happened was in 2015, when iconic pictures of the valley turning pink made headlines. This time, however, the bloom has come earlier. Just two years after the previous one, and tourists are flocking to enjoy the phenomenon called “desierto florido” or flowering desert.
People take pictures of the flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, 22 August 2017.Image: EPA/Mario Ruiz
View of flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on 22 August 2017.Image: EPA/Mario Ruiz
View of flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on 22 August 2017.Image: EPA/Mario Ruiz
View of flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on 17 August 2017.Image: EPA/Mario Ruiz
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